General Community Crisis Response Fund

Starting September 16th 2024, any new applications must abide by the following changes to the grant criteria:

• Applicants must connect with a local Community Development Officer on the CCRP team.
• Groups have a one month deadline to respond to any clarifying questions about their application.
• Applications may be declined if there are too many clarifying questions.
• There is a $1500 maximum on project coordination fees.

The Community Crisis Response Fund (CCRF) has two streams: General and Youth-led Projects. If you are looking to submit an application as youth-led and youth-driven project for MVP Youth, please refer to the Youth-Led Projects application. Please note that your application will only be assessed under one of the fund streams.

Faith-based groups can apply to the fund to assist with healing and capacity building as a result of an incident of community violence. For example, the fund can be used to support the accessibility of community healing and recovery activities such as healing circles, meditation, or mindfulness. The fund cannot be used to financially support religious-based activities or programs.

Incorporated/unincorporated not-for-profit faith-based groups can now apply to the fund without the support of a local, not-for-profit organization.

Newly formed faith-based groups without not-for-profit status will still be required to work with a local, not-for-profit organization to apply to and access the fund. To access the fund, those faith-based groups will need to do the following:

• Connect with a Community Development Officer to support the process of applying to the fund.
• Need to partner with a local not-for-profit, community-based agency to apply to and access the funds.
• If a group does not have an existing relationship with a community-based agency, the Community Development Officer can support with connecting a group to an appropriate community agency.
• The community-based agency can apply to the fund and work with faith-based groups to plan, deliver and implement the eligible activities.
  The community-based agency must meet all of the eligibility criteria (see Eligibility section), follow the required processes, respond to all communications from the fund, and meet the reporting expectations of the fund.

Groups who apply without a clear demarcation between religious and community healing and capacity-building functions at the program and budget levels are not eligible for this fund. All eligibility criteria will need to be met in order to apply.

The project or activity must meet all of the following:

1. Occur within Toronto
2. Respond to specific critical incidents in Toronto (i.e. shootings, shots fired, stabbings and gang-related activity. Community violence based on gang-related activities can include: raids and threats of community harm and victimization)
3. Contribute to local community capacity building and/or community healing (see Funding Priority section)
4. For incidents that have occurred within three months of the application date
5. Activities must adhere to public health guidelines and trustee procedures/policies with regards to physical distancing
6. The applicant must be a not-for-profit group (unincorporated/incorporated)
7. Faith-based applicant groups who are not a not-for-profit group will need to work with a local not-for-profit organization to apply and access funds
8. Faith-based applicant groups can only use the fund to support healing, wellbeing and capacity-building activities. Religious activities are ineligible.

Project funds requested for subsidizing individual needs and/or to fund existing community programs, services and/or initiatives responding to COVID-19 needs, are not eligible.

Points for Consideration

• Applicant groups will not be considered for new funding while still completing a previously approved application, or, if they have not submitted a project completion report for previously funded activities
• There will be consideration for all groups applying through an equitable process that will also support first-time, diverse applicant groups
• In addition to the criteria outlined above, organizations or groups without legal not-for-profit or charitable status and annual audited financial statements will be required to work with a trustee organization to access funding.

The funding limit has now been increased to $5,000 per request. Your application must demonstrate that your initiative responds to a community-wide trauma-inducing incident with activities delivered and spaces cultivated to support the community. Funding priority will be given to applications that meet the following criteria and guidelines:

1. Community healing and resiliency activities or projects that:

• Provide opportunity for participants to connect and support one another to process feelings on the impact the incident has had or is having on the community (e.g. coping skills sessions or meditation sessions)
• Allow participants to reflect on the impact the incident has had or is having on the community and themselves (e.g. organizing small, closed groups with appropriate facilitators for a number of sessions)
• Assist participants in identifying needs, (e.g. using safe online platforms to ask what the community might need as supports and resources)
• Provide participants opportunities to envision hope and direction for the future (e.g. creating and curating an art project that then can be shared online).

2. Community capacity-building activities that:

• Involve community input and participation in planning, implementation and feedback of activities, (e.g. providing opportunities for direct community feedback through surveys and other evaluation tools)
• Help participants to develop skills, resources and to initiate community change (e.g. resource guide that can be shared via online mediums like email, Twitter and Instagram)
• Build on the strengths of the community (e.g. putting together a Google map of virtual, community-based resources)

Fundable Items, Activities and Initiatives

The following examples describe activities and initiatives that can be supported by the fund:

• Project Coordination to support planning, organizing and implementing your project
• Local neighbourhood engagement sessions on coping, healing and/or processing feelings, consultations (gathering input and feedback)
• Training or workshops
• Community mobilizing and/or planning activities
• Facilitation/speaker’s fee
• Honoraria for volunteers or participation in activities
• Other costs, activities/initiatives (will be reviewed on a case-to-case basis)

Applicants must connect with a Community Development Officer in your area before applying. A list of Community Development Officers is provided below.

Please ensure that you download, complete and submit the Project Activity Workplan and Project Budget Template with your application.

Apply Now

Decision Making

Applications will be reviewed weekly and a decision will be sent via e-mail of the acknowledgement receipt of the application. Any inaccurate or incomplete information could result in the application being removed from consideration for funding. Should the City require any clarification on the application, we will contact the applicant via email.

Questions

Should you have any questions about the Community Crisis Response Fund, please contact the Community Development Officer for your area.

This fund is intended to assist communities (local neighbourhood or community of common bond) and faith-based groups with one-time funding to develop or implement their own crisis response projects and devise support tools in order to improve community resiliency and wellbeing.

For the purpose of the fund, a crisis is a community-wide, trauma-inducing physical act of violence (i.e. shooting, shots fired, stabbing or gang-related activity. Community violence based on gang-related activities can include: raids and threats of community harm and victimization) that may or may not result in life-threatening injury or death. The crisis must have an impact on the living conditions or health status of the community and prevent the normal coping ability within the community.